Italy

When I traveled to Italy a few years ago, I noticed the unity and dedication that all Italian people had for their country. The main difference I found between Americans and Italians are the dedication that they put into working, their religion and their family. Americans are very rushed with their jobs, daily lifestyles and very concerned about how much money they are making. Italians are interested in working hard and supporting their family and enjoying each and every day along with living life to the fullest. Although men and women both work in America, it is more common to see more men working and women staying at home in Italy although that is changing now and women are being noticed more in the work field. A lot of women are found in the fashion locations of Italy. A big barrier for Italy and America is simply the language. There are some that speak English in Italy, but that is mostly in the tourist areas. When I traveled through Italy I carried a translator book with me and it was even hard for people to understand a question such as "Where is the bathroom?" Before I would conduct a business in Italy, I would learn more about the language, along with trade and imports/ exports that would go in and out of Italy. I would also want to learn more about business etiquette and how it differs from the US. I found some interesting websites that discuss doing negotiations, good manners and etiquette. More information can be found at

http://www.lifeinitaly.com/potpourri/business2.asp

I found another great website that talks about punctuality and meetings at

http://www.kwintessential.co.uk/etiquette/doing-business-italy.html

And last but not least, everyone wants to know about how to act, how to look and about communicating. I found this website to have a lot of valuable information. This can be found at

http://www.cyborlink.com/besite/italy.htm

I found all of these websites to be very helpful and I found out a lot of new information that would really help out anyone who would be interested in conducting business in Italy.

Here are some added pictures of areas that I have traveled through when I went to Italy. It is so beautiful there and very romantic. If you have never gone before and want to travel somewhere with great food, scenery, shopping and cultlure, I would highly recommend traveling to Italy!

Venice:

Rome:




Milan:



Another piece of advice when you go to Italy is to not only think about buying a English to Italian/ Italian to English pocket translator book so that you can enjoy your time and understand their language, but it is very important to also think about safety. I learned on my trip to Italy that there are a lot of pros out there at stealing women's purses or picking a guy's wallet out of his back pocket. Many people recommend to go to AAA or any other travel location and learn helpful suggestions that will help you on your trip. I learned that many tourists wear a passport/ id/ boarding pass neck wallet. It is very comfortable and keeps your valuables safe! You put your passport, id, boarding pass and money all into a little zippered section to make sure your valuables are secure. You then wear it around your neck and tuck the secured valuables into your shirt so it is very hard for pickpockets to steal anything. Here is a link to one that I used, which is very comfortable.
http://www.amazon.com/Boarding-Pass-Passport-Holder-Wallet/dp/B000WUB9US This will keep you safe, along with your important valuables!